Totals System in Baseball Ready to Unload

No pennant race talk in this article, instead we’re on the hunt for a baseball betting winner and the potential is there to cash winning ticket. The Cincinnati Reds were spotted as frauds at the All-Star break hovering around .500, despite having the 14th rated runs scored and runs allowed figures in the National League. The baseball gods finally caught up with the Reds and they lost 14 out of 15 after the break.

Fortunately for Cincinnati (66-79, -2.9 units), they play in the same division as Pittsburgh, so finishing last is usually taken care of by the Pirates. The Reds have had their share of injuries, which might have contributed to better offensive numbers, yet the facts state what the Reds are, not very good offensively, ranked 28th in baseball.

It hasn’t been a marquee season in Houston (70-75, -0.9 units) either, trying to squeeze one more pennant chase out of the oldest team in the big leagues, with a pitching staff being held together with yarn and duct tape beyond Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez. The Astros don’t swing the bats a whole lot better than Cincinnati, ranked 25th in runs scored at 4.1 runs per game.

September baseball is a real challenge to wager on, with so many unexpected occurrences. Take this series, Houston had won seven out of ten and came to play on the banks of the Ohio River, having beaten the Reds 16 out of last 21 in their own ballpark. Cincinnati returned home after losing five of last six on extended road trip and they were set to be underdogs against the Astros best starters Rodriguez and Oswalt, in the first two meetings.

So what happens, Cincy wins the first two games as home underdogs and goes for the sweep today. The Reds are -120 money line favorites at DiamondSportsbook.com, with a total of Ov9 (remember that number).

Today’s pitching matchup won’t make this the game of the day, with Justin Lehr (4-2, 4.93 ERA) facing Yorman Bazardo (0-1, 9.00). What these pitchers lack in name brand recognition, they are expected to contribute to a top notch Totals system today.

Play Over on all teams when the total is 9 to 9.5, with a winning percentage between 38 and 46 percent, off two straight upset wins over division rivals as a home underdog.

Since 1997, this Total system is 35-11, 76.1 percent, with the average total score being 11.1 runs per game. This system is further aided by Cincinnati sporting a 9-1 OVER record off an upset win over a division rival as a home underdog (note the similarity) over the last two seasons and Houston is 29-15 OVER vs. an NL starting pitcher whose ERA is 4.70 to 5.20 since 2007. September baseball, the strangeness never stops, yet winners can still be uncovered.

Tampa Bay not looking like a good wager

As September begins, the defending American League champions are backed into a corner. The Rays earned a road split with Detroit yesterday with 11-7 win, yet still trail Boston by five games for the wild card, with Texas a game ahead of them. This is not to say Tampa Bay isn’t capable of making a run over their next 32 games, since they still have six important encounters with the Red Sox over the next 13 days. If it were only that easy.

This is crunch time and Rays know it, opening up a three-game series with the Red Sox. “I don’t know if it gets any bigger,” Evan Longoria said of the upcoming series. “…. It should be fun.” Even when Tampa Bay was the American League doormat they gave Boston trouble and it has continued into this season. The Rays have won eight of 12 against Boston and are 18-10 at Tropicana Field versus the BoSox.

Many wondered how the Tampa Bay front office could have moved the team’s all-time wins leader is Scott Kazmir, while still in the thick of chasing post-season berth. Tampa Bay has had an unusual situation and has tricky economic picture to consider.

After years of being one of the sickest and poorly run franchises in baseball, Tampa Rays invested in farm system. They have assembled some of the best young talent in the game; unfortunately, baseball isn’t just played on the field.

Last year’s World Series run has not led to a huge bump in attendance, ranking 22nd at 24,168 per game, which is behind Baltimore, San Diego and Arizona, whose seasons were over long ago. In fact they draw 4,000 more per game on the road than at home. The Rays lack a substantial season ticket base, strong corporate presence and potential for substantial ballpark revenues. The end result is Tampa Bay has to win to try and draw while always keeping an eye on the money matters.

With Kazmir gone, Andy Sonnanstine (6-7, 6.61 ERA) has been recalled from Triple-A. The right-hander gets the call since he is 2-0 with 0.96 ERA in last three starts against Boston. Bookmaker.com oddsmakers are not impressed with Sonnanstine or the fact the Rays are 57-23 at home playing against a team with a winning record over the last two seasons. They have made the Red Sox -155 money line road favorites, with the total Un9.

Jon Lester (10-7, 3.60) will be charge of stopping Joe Maddon’s club. The Red Sox are 14-3 in road games vs. an AL starting pitcher like Sonnanstine, whose WHIP is 1.500 to 1.600 and is 12-2 with a day off. The rub is Lester is 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in three starts in 2009 vs. the former Devil Rays, with Boston losing all of them. While it is true the Red Sox are 11-0 after seven or more consecutive home games this season, you can’t overlook the fact they are 1-11 when playing against a team with a win percentage between 54 to 62 percent in the second half of this year.

Longoria and teammates are 15-3 UNDER as a home underdog of +100 or higher over the last two seasons, while Boston is 14-3 UNDER in road games vs. good power teams, averaging 1.25 or more home runs a game in the second half of the season.

While manager Terry Francona laments about trip to -The Trop-, “Those cowbells stay with you for about a week.” at least his club is still in better position and doesn’t have the Rays upcoming schedule.

Tampa Bay plays host to Boston and division leading Detroit this week before heading on the road next for trips the Yankees and Boston.

First pitch tonight is set for 7:08 Eastern on NESN and Sun networks.

MLB Series Wagering- Rockies at Giants

It may not be “How the West was won” but for San Francisco, it’s a critical weekend to get back into the wild card race in the National League. With 34 games remaining, the Giants trail Colorado by three games for the last playoff spot in the senior circuit. Last week San Francisco (69-59, +10 units) lost three of four near the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and cannot afford a similar fate or postseason dreams could be washed out to sea by the Bay.

Manager Bruce Boche has the pitching aligned exactly how he wants it to give San Francisco its best chance of winning. In order, its Tim Lincecum, Barry Zito and Matt Cain, this at least sounds daunting for Colorado. Lincecum (12-4, 2.43 ERA) lost last Sunday at Colorado 4-2, giving up room service pitch for home run and walking a season high five batters. Last year’s Cy Young winner is 4-0 with a sterling 1.36 ERA at AT&T Park in his last six outings and the Giants are 8-3 when the right-hander is pitching on four days rest.

Colorado (72-56, +12.6 units) has to quickly put behind the disappointment of losing series to front-running Los Angeles and refocus on the task at hand. The Rockies are 17-9 in August road games the last couple of years and have what they believe is the right pitcher to combat Lincecum in Ubaldo Jimenez (12-9, 3.36). The righthander has pitched a minimum of eight innings in four of his last five starts, not allowing more than two runs and winning each game. He relishes the challenge of facing “The Freak”.

“I love challenges," Jimenez said. "I'm positive when I have a challenge. I can't wait to be in that position. Hopefully, everything's going to be OK this time." Jimenez has made nine straight starts allowing three or fewer runs and Colorado is 21-6 on the road against a right-hand starter.

DiamondSportsbook.com has the Giants as -125 money line favorites, with the total Un6.5. San Fran is 8-2 when Lincecum pitches as a favorite and has won 41 of last 58 in favorite role. The Rockies have won just one of last seven as an underdog and are 7-20 when Jimenez is pitching as road dog and 1-5 if the opponent has winning record.

Game 1 Edge: San Francisco

San Francisco knew coming into the season, they would have to build this team around pitching and defense and the front office has been prophetic. The Giants are 14th in the National League scoring runs, a paltry four runs per game. Nobody knows this better than Barry Zito (8-11, 4.09). Though Zito has been criticized and dismissed as a non-talent more than Heidi Montag, this season Zito has looked like the pitcher the Giants spent 126 million for several seasons ago. In his last eight starts, the lefty has ERA of 2.08, yet is just 3-2, as he has received the poorest run support in the NL at just under three runs a game. Zito made a decision to stop worrying about avoiding bats and instead has gone after hitters, which has paid dividends for a pitcher needing confidence. The Giants have won five of his last six starts at home.

Colorado counters with Jason Marquis (14-8, 3.47), making this a rematch from Monday, when neither starting pitcher figured in decision. Marquis has ended being a key acquisition for the Rockies, pitching well when they were still trying to settle in and rock solid once they turned the corner playing outstanding baseball. Colorado comes into the series 52-25 in last 77 outings and they are 8-2 when Marquis faces a club with winning record.

Game 2 Edge: Colorado

As if things aren’t hard enough for San Fran, the status of their top two hitters Pablo Sandoval and Bengie Molina is day to day for this series. The Giants could certainly use them for the final game of the series, which is afternoon affair. San Francisco is 24-19 playing matinees and will have Matt Cain (12-4, 2.39) taking the ball. It easy to be judgmental and see Cain hasn’t won a game since July 24, yet he has 2.72 ERA in that span and allowed 36 hits in 46 1/3 innings, with 4-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Giants are raising cane on opponents at home when Cain pitches with 11-2 record and they are 13-4 when favored. The Rockies will use Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.43) who pitches dramatically better away from Coors Field. Hammel is 6-4 on the road with 2.88 ERA, thought the team is .500 (6-6). Colorado is 25-18 in day ball and un-Rockies like 36-30 coming into the series on the road.

Game 3 Edge: San Francisco

Had my four series winning streak snapped last week, however feel good about this week’s selection. As good as Colorado has been since Jim Tracy took over as skipper, San Francisco could have just as easily won three of four last week in Denver. Sporting a National League-best 41-21 home record, the Giants are the play this weekend to close the gap in wild card race.

DiamondSportsbook.com series odds: Colorado +120, San Francisco -150

3DW Pick: San Francisco

2009 Record – 7-10

NL West Heats Up

Exactly one month ago, the Los Angeles Dodgers were as close to a lock to win the division as there was in baseball. Manager Joe Torre’s club led the National League West by nine games and was running smoother than a brand new Nissan 370Z on the Pacific Coast Highway. However, baseball’s fortunes can shift gears quickly and over a 162-game schedule, very few teams in the history of the game have managed to avoid rough patches and run wide open all season.

Los Angeles (74-51, +12.4 units) has seen their lead in the division diminish to three games for two reasons, one of their own doing. The Dodgers are 12-16 since July 25, and have a faulty offense to blame. L.A. has scored three or less runs in 13 of its recent 16 losses and it doesn’t seem to be a coincidence that without Juan Pierre in the lineup on a regular basis, with Manny Ramirez back patrolling leftfield, there are fewer scoring chances with runners in scoring position. Though the Dodgers won three of four over the Chicago Cubs, they managed to score five total runs in last three contests and are 27-45 after scoring two runs or less three straight games.

The Colorado Rockies (71-54, +14 units) have been the other reason for the club from La-La Land hasn’t been able to get away with playing undistinguished baseball. Since former Dodger manager Jim Tracy took over, Colorado is 53-26, proving not to be the mercurial club like in the past. The Rockies have won 18 of last 28 to close the gap to present number and came from behind three times against San Francisco, their nearest wild card competitor, to win the series 3-1, which included last night’s improbable walk off grand slam by Ryan Spilbroghs in the bottom of the 14th. Colorado comes into this series 15-4 after consecutive wins by two runs or less.

The Rockies will be tested mentally, since they have lost 10 of 12 to Los Angeles, including five of six at Coors Field. Jason Hammel (8-7, 4.54 ERA) will be the game one hurler for the Rocks and they have won seven of his last 10 starts. Los Angeles will counter with Clayton Kershaw (8-7, 2.96) who’s needed a directional-finder this month. The young lefty had been pitching brilliantly this season, however since August; he’s walked 15 batters in 19 innings. The increased wildness and the lack of run support (2.3 RPG) have seen the Dodgers lose Kershaw’s last six starts, after winning the previous seven.

This NL West affair opened with the Dodgers as -125 money line favorites at Bookmaker.com and the number has moved against L.A. to -110, with total Un9.5. Colorado is on 26-10 roll at home and has punished lefties, winning 11 of last 12 at Coors. The Rockies are 9-1-1 OVER against teams with a winning record.

The Dodgers have experience in handling Colorado and are 14-5 on the road when the total is 9 to 9.5 this season and is 15-5 UNDER when the money line is -100 to -150, with Kershaw pitching.

This anticipated conflict and series will be available in local markets and on MLB.TV starting at 8:40 Eastern.

Sunday Night Baseball Preview

With Jair Jurrjens taking the mound, the Atlanta Braves have a good chance to win their lone home series in a 17-day span. That will require a second straight victory over the best team in the majors as the Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers decide their three-game set Sunday night at Turner Field. These games are Atlanta’s only home contests between July 24 and Aug. 9, a stretch that came just as the Braves have won 11 of 14 at home. Jurrjens (9-7, 2.69 ERA) has won all three of his starts at Turner Field in that span, allowing one earned run and six hits in 20 2-3 innings.

Atlanta’s latest home loss was a 5-0 defeat in Friday’s series opener, but the Braves (53-51, -6.8 units) bounced back with a 4-3 victory Saturday afternoon, giving them their ninth win in last 12 games as home favorite.

With an offense that has been inconsistent for much of the year, Atlanta has relied on strong pitching—its 3.74 ERA is among the lowest in the majors—to stay within striking distance in the NL East and wild-card races. Derek Lowe turned in a quality start Saturday to win his first game against his former team.

Jurrjens has been perhaps the Braves’ best pitcher this season, with his ERA leading the team’s starters and ranking among the top six in the NL.

The right-hander has been especially hot lately; going 3-0 with a 1.75 ERA in his last four starts overall. He failed to win his fourth straight outing Tuesday against Florida, but still allowed just two runs in six innings of Atlanta’s 4-3 loss. He is 20-8 after a win over the last three seasons. (Braves Record)

Jurrjens beat the Dodgers twice last year, allowing two runs and eight hits in 13 innings and has won his last five starts against NL West clubs. He’ll again face Los Angeles’ Chad Billingsley after beating him in Atlanta’s 9-3 victory July 8, 2008.

The Dodgers (64-40, +17.6 units) aren’t feeling much heat with a comfortable lead in the NL West, but Billingsley (10-6, 3.96) is under some pressure after his recent struggles. The right-hander won nine of his first 12 decisions and had a 2.72 ERA on June 14, but since then he’s 1-3 with a 6.46 ERA in eight starts, including 1-4 if opponent had winning record.

He allowed one hit through five shutout innings Tuesday against St. Louis, but gave up six runs and couldn’t get out of the sixth in a 10-0 loss, walking a season-high six. Still, Dodgers manager Joe Torre said he had “good stuff” and seemed optimistic about Billingsley’s progress. “It got to the point, in a close game, it just looked to me like he was trying to make every pitch perfect,” Torre told the Dodgers’ official Web site. “That was about as good and loose and free I’ve seen him in a while.”

Besides his loss to Jurrjens, Billingsley also lost to the Braves in his first start against them April 19, 2008. In the two outings, the right-hander walked nine and allowed nine earned runs in 10 1/3 innings.

The newest Brave, Adam LaRoche, has homered twice off Billingsley in four at-bats. LaRoche, traded from Boston to Atlanta on Friday after being shipped from Pittsburgh to the Red Sox nine days earlier, went 2 for 3 with a walk Saturday to begin his second stint with the Braves.

“This turned out great,” LaRoche said. “I’m not going to lie and say Boston wasn’t fun. I did not see this coming at all. But if I was going to go anywhere from Boston, this is where I would want to be.” Atlanta has won six of seven at Turner Field against right-hand starters.

DiamondSportsbook.com has established Atlanta as -120 money line favorites with total having shrunk to 7.5. The Braves are 5-1 in Game 3’s of late and 6-2 if Jurrjens is the starter. Atlanta is 12-3 UNDER when the 23-year old takes the ball and the money line is +125 to -125.

Andre Ethier is the Dodgers hottest hitter, going 4 for 9 with two home runs and five RBIs in the series. He’s 2 for 3 with three walks in his career against Jurrjens. Los Angeles will need his bat and they are 20-7 vs. a starting pitcher who gives up 5.5 or less hits a start this season. L.A. is 9-2 OVER after allowing four runs or less four straight games this season.

ESPN of course will have the coverage starting just after 8 Eastern, with Torre’s club 23-9 in Game 3 of a series. These teams will meet four times at Dodger Stadium starting Thursday.

Mike Lipka, STATS writer contributed to this article.

Time for Rays to Roll

You will have to forgive the Tampa Bay Rays for possibly not giving their best performance on Sunday, losing 5-1 to Toronto. Tampa Bay still won the series north of the border and completed one of the better road trips of the year with 6-4 record. While it’s true, every game will count the same no matter when it’s played over a 162-game schedule, some games and series have more meaning then others, which would be the case starting Monday night for the Rays.

Manager Joe Madden’s club is 54-45 (+1.3 units) and trails the first place New York Yankees by 6.5 games in the AL East. In order for Tampa Bay to start closing the gap, they have to do no worse than win two out of three encounters in opening up big nine-game homestand.

“This is a crucial homestand,” Pat Burrell said. “I think it will dictate a lot, especially with the (July 31 trade) deadline coming up. If we have a real good homestand, I mean real good; we’re going to be in a good place.”

The Rays will try to build on recent success they have enjoyed at Tropicana Field, where they have won 20 of last 25. Tampa Bay knows the Bronx Bombers have explosive offensive, which they have managed to turnaround to their favor with 22-6 mark at home vs. an AL team with an on-base percentage of .345 or better.

James Shields (6-6, 3.70 ERA) will be given the assignment of containing New York and he’s had more than his share of problems. Shields’ hasn’t won a game since June 20 and his ERA is 5.89 in his last three starts. Fortunately, he loves pitching at The Trop and is 4-2 there this season and with the Rays off a loss, Shields and mates are 8-2 on home turf.

The Yankees (60-38, +1.2 units) leave home having won 10 of 11 and open an important road trip in West Florida. Besides facing Tampa Bay, New York will have four in the Windy City with the White Sox and head to Toronto for two tilts before returning home to take on the challenge of Boston.

The Yankees haven’t always been dominant during this streak, but they found ways to win. Joe Girardi’s veteran club is 12-2 in last 14 contests against right-hander hurlers and has conquered teams with winning records to the tune of 15-5. A.J. Burnett (9-4, 3.74) has settled into the role the New York front office had in mind when they doled out $82.5 million contract to him. Over his last six starts, Burnett has been dominating, sporting 5-1 record and 1.82 ERA.

DiamondSportsbook.com has New York as -110 money line road favorites, with total Un9. The Yanks have won 12 of 14 when Burnett is wearing the favorite cap and they are 41-17 as chalk. New York is 6-0 UNDER in Burnett’s last six starts. Though Shields is effective pitcher at home, Yankees hitters have brought out the worst in him with 1-6 record, 5.73 ERA in eight career starts. He’ll seek previous magic which has allowed the Rays to win 27 of his 35 home starts, including four of five as underdog. Since leaving the name Devil Rays behind, Tampa Bay is 13-3 UNDER as a home underdog of +100 to +125.

Game 1 of this weighty series is set to commence at 7:08 Eastern and can be viewed on YES and Fox Sports Florida, along with MLB.TV. Burnett is 8-4 versus the Rays in his career and New York is 12-9 the last few years as visitor where Big Stein resides.

Rangers in bad betting spot

Life has been pretty darn good for manager Ron Washington’s club in 2009. The Los Angeles Angels were everyone’s selection to runaway with the AL West crown, but Texas (30-21, +10.1 units) will have something to say about who is crowned champion this year. They rank fifth in runs scored in baseball and for the most part, their pitching has been decent enough to be in the middle of the road in runs allowed. Texas does have demons and in this battle of two first place teams in the American League, the Rangers are being lassoed by better team.

Texas has frequently had issues with the New York Yankees, dating back to 1998-99, when they lost consecutive postseason series to them. This year, the Bronx Bombers have won three of four and the losses by the Rangers have not been close. Texas has lost by 10, 7 and 9 runs, with the last figure coming last night. After Vincente Padilla was slapped around for seven runs in less than four innings of work, the bullpen came in and made matters worse with New York adding five more runs the rest of the way.

In contrast, two New York relievers pitched two innings and allowed no runs. Though the Yankees bullpen still have troublesome ERA of 5.03, this is far better than the one that was well over six before they helped contribute to skipper Joe Girardi’s club winning 16 of last 20.

New York (31-21, +1.5) is 21-3 in home games with a hot bullpen whose WHIP is under 1.000 the last five games and Andy Pettitte (5-1, 4.10 ERA, 1.461 WHIP) will try to continue to ease the strain on pen. The veteran left-hander has won last three decisions and the team has won the last five times Pettitte was the starter. DiamondSportsbook.com has the Yankees as -170 money line favorites with the total Ov10.5 and they will face a good pitcher in Scott Feldman (4-0, 3.91, 1.180), who is 4-0 with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts after being used out of the bullpen for the first two weeks of the season.

Unfortunately for Feldman and Texas, the odds may be stacked against them with this super situation.

Play Against all underdogs with a money line of +150 or more, after a game where the bullpen was rocked for five or more earned runs, against opponent with a hot bullpen who’s WHIP is under 1.200 the last 10 games.

The logic here is if a team is this large an underdog, they will likely have to go back to the bullpen again, which was just roughed up. Contrast that with the favorite, who has received a number of fine performances of late and we come across a system that delivers winners at the rate of 84.1 percent since 2004 at 58-11.

While there is no truth to the rumor General Motors, in an effort to conserve money wanted to use the new Yankee Stadium for wind-tunnel testing, at least one home run has been hit in all 24 games played there. Most have been hit to right field, but with the lefty Pettitte on the mound, that should curtail unsightly element.

The average margin of victory has been 2.5 runs and this system has been on turbo-charge, winning 30 of last 33. With New York 12-2 vs. a mediocre bullpen whose WHIP is 1.450 to 1.550 this season, this might be the right spot to go against the Rangers.